Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Taste testers didn’t miss the flour in these simple, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! Only 5 ingredients needed to make them.

Greetings from my chilly little apartment currently blanketed with 6 inches of snow! I meant to publish this cookie recipe earlier this morning, but there was some much needed playtime outside.

Sitting here with a warm cup of cocoa, I’m ready to talk about all things almond butter. Do you like the stuff? It’s like a toasty, almond-y spread (duh) that’s a bit more grainy than peanut butter. And I know exactly what you should do with it. Besides eat it with a spoon, which I’ve been caught doing many times. It’s all good.

Make 5 ingredient almond butter chocolate chip cookies. Ditch the flour, ditch the butter. You only need a few ingredients to make these simple gluten free cookies!

Everyone and their brother has their own version of a flourless cookie. It’s certainly nothing new. While I may be late in the game to try a recipe like this, I’m quite thankful I joined in.

I was inspired to make these cookies last weekend for some friends we had over. Kevin and I had been eating so many cookies during this madness, that I wanted to serve something a little more healthful. A little less grain, a little less saturated fat.

The best part? Kevin’s friends had no idea these cookies were healthy. They thought the cookies were butter-filled, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Ha! There aren’t any oats in the recipe at all! Silly boys.

Let’s discuss how these 5 ingredient cookies are made.

First, start with almond butter. Almond butter takes the place of regular butter in this cookie recipe. Almond butter is full of monosaturated fat, the good fat that makes your skin glow and your hair shine.

PS:Did you know that almonds are the most nutritionally dense nut? I had no clue!

Here’s the best part. You can either use store-bought almond butter or homemade almond butter. I suggest you save some money by making your own!

Making almond butter at home is incredibly simple. I’ve created a separate page for you to see exactly how I make almond butter. It will take you minutes and you only need 1 ingredient.

Check it out, almond butter lovers.

If you use my homemade almond butter, make sure it cools off before mixing it up in this cookie dough. After being freshly processed, the almond butter will be slightly warm. And consequently, will make your cookie dough warm. And we all know what warm cookie dough means, right? Cookies spreading all over your baking sheet. No, thank you.

Another important note about your almond butter: make sure it isn’t incredibly oily. The more oil, the greasier your cookie. The more oil, the more your cookies will spread while baking. So stir that almond butter up and make sure it is super thick!

Along with the almond butter, you’ll need: 1 egg, 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking soda, and chocolate chips. I used dark chocolate chips and then added a few honey roasted peanuts. The peanuts are the 6th ingredient and are completely optional. I just love a little extra texture in my cookies. Leave them out if chunky nuts in your cookies aren’t your thing.

Bake the cookies right away. That’s right, no need to chill this cookie dough!

Use about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. Make sure you press the cookie dough mounds down slightly before going into the oven.

Here is what my cookie dough looked like before baking:

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Less is more, people. And by that I mean – you want to underbake these cookies. If you overbake them, the cookies will be quite hard and crispy. But hey, if you prefer a crispier cookie, bake for about 11 minutes. But those of you who prefer soft, chewy cookies? About 8-10 minutes.

My cookies took 9 minutes in the oven and they looked quite soft and underbaked when removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool off on the baking sheet for 10 full minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Or just dig right in. Dip in some in hot cocoa like yours truly is right now with the last cookie from the batch.

My afternoon is so wild.

Our friends had NO idea these cookies were flourless. They thought they were regular cookies. Full of flavor, full of chew, and so darn soft. Each bite melts in the mouth. There will be no crumb left, my friends… trust me.

I beg you, please spend the next 30 minutes of your life making these cookies! You’ll be quite thankful you did.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the almond butter, baking soda, and brown sugar. Mix everything together very well. Depending how thick and/or cold your almond butter is, you'll have to use some arm muscles. Fold in the chocolate chips until combined.

Scoop the dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheet. Bake two batches - 6 cookies on each baking sheet each. Gently press down on the dough mounds with the back of a spoon, as pictured above. If you find the cookie dough balls are oily-looking from your almond butter, blot each with a paper towel.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked, but that's ok. For crispy cookies, bake for up to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies stay fresh stored covered at room temperature for up to 7 days. Cookies freeze well, up to 3 months.

*You may use homemade, natural, or commercial almond butter, however the type you use will alter their texture slightly. I found the best texture was with 1 cup of my homemade almond butter or 1/2 cup Jif Creamy Almond Butter and 1/2 cup all-natural, organic almond butter. Be sure to stir in any excess oil on top of the natural brands, and get it completely mixed in. Otherwise, your cookies will spread.

*An equal amount of peanut butter may be used instead of almond butter.